Friends and authorities say that the cherished hospital worker from Brooklyn, Mary Fagan, who was killed in her apartment, had taken her brother in to care for him.
Colleagues who spoke to the Post this week expressed feelings of deep betrayal. Fagan, at 64, had been known to be kind and devoted.
“She took him in, and now it’s the same hand that took her life,” noted a nurse who worked alongside Fagan at New York Elders Hospital.
“I was really taken aback before, but now hearing this… it’s just so upsetting,” said a coworker who preferred to remain anonymous.
“She was all about family and caring for others. It’s heart-wrenching that her life ended like this. It makes no sense,” the nurse added.
Thomas Fagan, 68, allegedly confessed to strangling his sister following his arrest on Saturday.
It’s not entirely clear when Thomas was last at the apartment, but a neighbor mentioned he had been around recently.
He was charged with murder on Sunday and is currently being held without bail.
Mary Fagan dedicated nearly three decades at the hospital as an environmental services worker, where her role involved cleaning and sanitizing the facilities, according to friends and coworkers.
She was well-regarded as both generous and talented, both at work and at home.
“She was a quiet person, always eager to help,” a 91-year-old retired nurse neighbor shared on Tuesday.
“Being older, she often offered her assistance. She’d even bring me cookies,” she recalled.
“Honestly, I’m still in disbelief. She would come and go so frequently, it’s hard to grasp,” the neighbor remarked.
Another friend described her brother as “very nice and polite,” mentioning that they hadn’t heard any conflicts between them.
“He never spoke much,” a neighbor noted. “He’d just step outside to smoke.”
